May 12, 2016

U.S. activation of missile shield in Romania angers Russia

BBC News reports the US has activated a land-based missile defense station in Romania, which will form part of a larger and controversial European shield. Senior US and NATO officials attended the ceremony in Deveselu, southern Romania. The US says the Aegis system is a shield to protect NATO countries from short and medium-range missiles, particularly from the Middle East. But Russia sees it as a security threat - a claim denied by NATO. Relations between the West and Russia have deteriorated since Moscow's annexation of Ukraine's southern Crimea peninsula in 2014.